Kai O-S
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kolsaw.bsky.social
Kai O-S
@kolsaw.bsky.social
Broad outlook and interest in the interconnections between human and natural systems (water, energy, food). Sociopolitics. Writer and research analyst.
Will this lead to action or lip service?

We shall see.
The G7...
Agrees to end of unabated coal power plants by 2035, but gives leeway to coal-dependent countries & permits power plants use of carbon capture www.theguardian.com/world/2024/a...

Will create a coalition to “work on the water resource issues" as crises mount. tribune.net.ph/2024/04/30/g...
G7 water coalition tackles crises
TURIN, Italy (AFP) — The G7 is setting up a water coalition to tackle the global water crisis, which is being exacerbated by climate change, France’s ecological
tribune.net.ph
May 1, 2024 at 10:11 PM
The G7...
Agrees to end of unabated coal power plants by 2035, but gives leeway to coal-dependent countries & permits power plants use of carbon capture www.theguardian.com/world/2024/a...

Will create a coalition to “work on the water resource issues" as crises mount. tribune.net.ph/2024/04/30/g...
G7 water coalition tackles crises
TURIN, Italy (AFP) — The G7 is setting up a water coalition to tackle the global water crisis, which is being exacerbated by climate change, France’s ecological
tribune.net.ph
May 1, 2024 at 10:07 PM
Insightful in light of the VW unionization vote in TN:

The "antilabor political and economic agenda that rests on weakening whatever protections working people might have...puts the lie to the idea...that the Republican Party had somehow become a 'workers’ party.'”
www.nytimes.com/2024/04/23/o...
Opinion | The Small-Business Tyrant Has a Favorite Political Party
It has never been more obvious that the Republican Party is the party of the boss.
www.nytimes.com
April 23, 2024 at 10:23 PM
US EPA issued the first national drinking water limit on toxic, long-lasting ("forever") PFAS substances. We need this rule for limits to PFAS in water, even if service costs for utility customers could increase.

Bottom line: PFAS manufacturers need to be held accountable
apnews.com/article/fore...
Biden administration sets first-ever limits on 'forever chemicals' in drinking water
The Biden administration finalized strict limits on certain so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water. Officials say it could benefit millions.
apnews.com
April 10, 2024 at 6:15 PM
“The Plot Against America”: A Concise Review
My recent writing on Philip Roth's 2004 alternate history.
medium.com/p/cae7f7153107
“The Plot Against America”: A Concise Review
NB: Below is a concise book review pitched to a literary magazine.
medium.com
April 4, 2024 at 2:37 PM
Interesting to see that the EPA now has a webpage detailing "Water Reuse and Nature-based Solutions," such as such as wastewater treatment wetlands; stormwater capture, treatment, and aquifer recharge; etc.
www.epa.gov/waterreuse/w...
March 18, 2024 at 1:16 PM
John Fleck (as usual) astutely lays out the water allocation negotiations amongst the Colorado River Basin states (or really the Upper Basin vs. the Lower Basin). Less water available means all will have to find a compromise plan to reduce demand in the end.
www.inkstain.net/2024/03/coun...
Counseling patience on the current Colorado River kerfuffles
Despite the Sturm und Drang of last week’s competing proposals to the federal government for managing drought and climate change on the Colorado River, there’s a lot to be hopeful about. On their f…
www.inkstain.net
March 12, 2024 at 12:39 AM
"The lesson of history is that turning trade into a positive force requires that we democratize it...[That ensures] it serves the common good, rather than narrow interests––an important lesson to keep in mind as we reconstruct the world trade regime" ahead.
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/f...
The Two Faces of Free Trade | by Dani Rodrik - Project Syndicate
Dani Rodrik thinks the doctrine has fallen out of favor not because it failed, but because of the interests it now serves.
www.project-syndicate.org
March 10, 2024 at 5:23 PM
The fact that the US economy hasn’t collapsed after the world-historic event of COVID—which killed 1 million+ & caused extreme disruption—seems undervalued if not forgotten. More (always) must be done to help those struggling, but aspects of govt/people/civic soc. aided in crisis.
March 10, 2024 at 1:27 PM
Crypto hype aside, this blockchain use case is beneficial in ways I imagined.

The company, Sourcery, links cotton to the value claim of the commodity so that the value (money) is shared with the farmer, who also owns the data. Sustainable production potential.
www.voguebusiness.com/story/sustai...
Fashion’s cotton supply chain is broken. Will brands agree to fix it?
A new blockchain-based programme from Sourcery could blow the cotton supply chain wide open, with big implications for farmers and brands alike.
www.voguebusiness.com
March 7, 2024 at 4:31 PM
“Immigration has propelled the U.S. job market further than just about anyone expected, helping cement the country’s economic rebound from the pandemic as the most robust in the world.”
wapo.st/4cfNQwv
The economy is roaring. Immigration is a key reason.
Momentum in the job market picked up aggressively over the past year — all while Washington is deadlocked on a border deal.
wapo.st
March 5, 2024 at 11:55 PM
Within the giant the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence watershed there are more than 200 sovereign First Nations and Tribes.

Check out Biinaagami’s interactive guide and see how "cultural identities...bind [First Nations and Tribes] to the waters through shared responsibility."
www.biinaagami.org/map
March 4, 2024 at 8:31 PM
This is rich (& so is Exxon from fossil fuels & their GHG emissions).

“The playbook is this: sell consumers a product that you know is dangerous, while publicly denying or downplaying those dangers. Then...deny responsibility & blame the consumer.”—Naomi Oreskes🌎
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024...
Fury after Exxon chief says public to blame for climate failures
Darren Woods tells Fortune consumers not willing to pay for clean-energy transition, prompting backlash from climate experts
www.theguardian.com
March 4, 2024 at 4:27 PM
The Internet — “Hold On”
[Footage taken from "Losing Ground" (1982)]
m.youtube.com/watch?v=jG6R...
The Internet - Hold On
Hold On · The Internet (Unofficial Music Video)taken from the album 'Hive Mind': http://smarturl.it/hivemindalbum℗ 2018 Columbia Records, a Division of Sony ...
m.youtube.com
February 26, 2024 at 3:16 AM
Poor water quality can lead to water scarcity. STUDY: "decreasing water quality caused by increasing and newly emerging pollutants...[aggravates] water scarcity problems."

Possible future water scarcity explored through nitrogen pollution runoff—a big global concern🧪🌎
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A triple increase in global river basins with water scarcity due to future pollution - Nature Communications
Here the authors find one third of global sub-basins will face severe clean water scarcity in 2050. Nitrogen pollution aggravates water scarcity in >2,000 sub-basins thus 3 billion more people will...
www.nature.com
February 22, 2024 at 1:47 PM
Say what you will about Navalny's past politics, he showed incredible physical and political courage by continuing to challenge Putin and by returning to Russia.
www.theguardian.com/world/2024/f...
Russian activist and Putin critic Alexei Navalny dies in prison
Supporters and western officials condemn what they describe as a political assassination attributable to Russia’s president
www.theguardian.com
February 16, 2024 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by Kai O-S
The Inflation Reduction Act is poised to save New Jersey electricity users $300 million annually from 2025-2032, as a new federal tax credit to keep existing nuclear plants running renders a state subsidy unnecessary.
www.njspotlightnews.org/2024/02/new-...
February 15, 2024 at 9:52 PM
Reposted by Kai O-S
"It pains me to say it, but Gov. Evers gets a huge win today,” Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said, adding that under the new maps, “the Legislature will be up for grabs.”

Democracy. Democracy got the huge win today.

Also, textbook Kinsley gaffe.
GOP-led Wisconsin Legislature passes Democratic governor's legislative maps
Wisconsin’s GOP-controlled Legislature has passed legislative maps that were proposed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
apnews.com
February 13, 2024 at 9:44 PM
Ana Tijoux — Tu Sae (feat. Talib Kweli)
youtu.be/18-6-KZPl6U?...
ANA TIJOUX - TU SAE FEAT TALIB KWELI
youtu.be
February 10, 2024 at 1:09 AM
An inauspicious note in our collective effort to halt the planetary heating. Still, the world has the tools to reduce emissions and climate impacts.

"For the first time, global warming has exceeded 1.5C across an entire year[2023], according to the EU's climate service." www.bbc.com/news/science...
World's first year-long breach of key 1.5C warming limit
The last 12 months were the hottest on record, temporarily sending the world past a deeply symbolic mark.
www.bbc.com
February 8, 2024 at 2:59 PM
Count me among those saying that the loss of the Chevron deference is bad news for the environment, energy technology, healthcare, and more. The right’s long-standing goal for the deconstruction of the administrative state continues apace.
news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
Scholar explains implications of SCOTUS revisiting ‘Chevron deference’— Harvard Gazette
Law School’s Jody Freeman pinpoints key question: “Who decides when laws aren’t clear — courts or agencies?”
news.harvard.edu
January 18, 2024 at 5:08 AM